Dynamics of Mycotoxins, Microbial Communities, and Quality of Corn When Stored at Various Temperatures.
- 1College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
- 2National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Corn Deep Processing, Changchun 130118, China.
Abstract
Corn is a major grain crop in China; however, mycotoxin contamination during storage threatens grain quality. In this study, naturally contaminated corn was stored at 15 °C or 35 °C under 65 ± 5% relative humidity for 8 months, with monthly sampling. Mycotoxin contents and fungal communities were analyzed, and the major quality indicators of corn were evaluated. Under both storage conditions, aflatoxins and ochratoxin A remained below detection limits. At 15 °C, fumonisins B₁ and B₂ decreased by 3.2% and 2.5%, respectively, after 8 months of storage. FB₃ reached 41.51 ± 2.10 μg/kg at month 8, representing a 17.3% decrease. Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone remained relatively stable. At 35 °C, the concentrations of FB₁, FB₂, and FB₃ reached 414.85 ± 3.27, 59.52 ± 1.53, and 91.76 ± 2.04 μg/kg, respectively. These five toxins increased by 13.8%, 40.0%, 82.8%, 10.4%, and 26.1%, respectively. Analysis of fungal communities indicated that dominant taxa differed between storage conditions, with higher relative abundance of Fusarium at 35 °C and higher Trichoderma at 15 °C. Storage at 35 °C resulted in a significant decrease in crude fat, starch content, germination rate, and antioxidant enzyme activity compared with conditions at 15 °C, while free fatty acid content increased. Storage at 15 °C limited toxin accumulation and quality deterioration compared with 35 °C. Temperature control can therefore improve corn preservation.
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BibTeX
@article{yuan2026dynamics,
title = {{Dynamics of Mycotoxins, Microbial Communities, and Quality of Corn When Stored at Various Temperatures.}},
author = {Yixuan Yuan and Pengwen Lyu and Ze Shi and Junze Li and Xuenan Li and Dan Cai},
journal = {Foods (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/foods15193438},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883545},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dynamics of Mycotoxins, Microbial Communities, and Quality of Corn When Stored at Various Temperatures.
AU - Yixuan Yuan
AU - Pengwen Lyu
AU - Ze Shi
AU - Junze Li
AU - Xuenan Li
AU - Dan Cai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
JO - Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/foods15193438
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883545
AB - Corn is a major grain crop in China; however, mycotoxin contamination during storage threatens grain quality. In this study, naturally contaminated corn was stored at 15 °C or 35 °C under 65 ± 5% relative humidity for 8 months, with monthly sampling. Mycotoxin contents and fungal communities were analyzed, and the major quality indicators of corn were evaluated. Under both storage conditions, aflatoxins and ochratoxin A remained below detection limits. At 15 °C, fumonisins B₁ and B₂ decreased by 3.2% and 2.5%, respectively, after 8 months of storage. FB₃ reached 41.51 ± 2.10 μg/kg at month 8, representing a 17.3% decrease. Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone remained relatively stable. At 35 °C, the concentrations of FB₁, FB₂, and FB₃ reached 414.85 ± 3.27, 59.52 ± 1.53, and 91.76 ± 2.04 μg/kg, respectively. These five toxins increased by 13.8%, 40.0%, 82.8%, 10.4%, and 26.1%, respectively. Analysis of fungal communities indicated that dominant taxa differed between storage conditions, with higher relative abundance of Fusarium at 35 °C and higher Trichoderma at 15 °C. Storage at 35 °C resulted in a significant decrease in crude fat, starch content, germination rate, and antioxidant enzyme activity compared with conditions at 15 °C, while free fatty acid content increased. Storage at 15 °C limited toxin accumulation and quality deterioration compared with 35 °C. Temperature control can therefore improve corn preservation.
SN - 2304-8158
ER -